Dethroned: Why the Kansas City Royals have gone from World Series champs to playoff also-rans
Things just aren’t right in Kansas City, where the defending World Series champion Royals open a three-game series with the Blue Jays on Friday.
The Royals are six games below .500 after losing 3-2 to Tampa Bay in a matinee Thursday.
They were 10 games behind Central Division leader Cleveland, and eight games out of a wild-card berth before Thursday’s games.
It’s all but certain the Royals won’t finish close to a post-season berth, let alone defend their world championship.
Here’s a look at five reasons why the Royals have fallen:
TOO STREAKY
Kansas City opened the season at 8-2, then lost six in a row at the end of April, followed by a seven-game losing streak in June. In that six gamer, the Royals became the first team since the 2011 Twins to score one run or less in six straight losses, and only the third team to do it in the last 50 years. In the first half of the season, they joined the 1995 A’s as the only teams in MLB history to follow a six-game winning streak at home with seven consecutive losses on the road.
POP GUN OFFENCE
Kansas City won the world championship in 2015 despite being ranked second last in homers in the majors because they were still able to score. This season, that offence has disappeared. They are 27th overall in runs scored, homers, slugging and OPS. They are 28th in RBI and 25th in strikeouts. Kansas City doesn’t have a hitter whose batting average is among the top 60 players in baseball. Their leading home run hitter is
Kendry Morales with 17, which barely cracks the top 60 in the majors.
INJURIES
Kansas City has five regulars either on the 60-day disabled list, or out for the season due to injury: Jason Var
gas (elbow surgery), Mike Minor (shoulder surgery) and Kris Medlen (torn rotator cuff), are on the DL; Tim Collins (elbow surgery) and all-star
Mike Moustakas (torn right ACL), are out for the season. Not having Moustakas would be like if Josh Donaldson was out for the Jays.
In addition, Luke Hochevar (thoracic outlet syndrome) and closer Wade
Davis (right flexor strain) are currently on the 15-day disabled list. Morales (back), Lorenzo Cain (hamstring) and Chris Young (shoulder) were also on the 15-day DL in the first half.
UNDERACHIEVERS
Ace starter Edinson Volquez has struggled at the beginning of games, giving up 22 earned runs in the first inning through 23 starts. In his last start, a 12-0 loss to Tampa on Wednesday, he gave up four runs in the first inning, and eight overall. He has a 4.99 ERA this season.
All-star Eric Hosmer is just 13th in the majors among first basemen in weighted runs created-plus, a stat that users say is a defining measure of offence.
LEAKY DEFENCE
Last season, the Royals overcame a lack of an overpowering starting rotation with excellent defence and an amazing bullpen. The Royals committed three errors during that 12-0 loss to Tampa, the third time this season they have committed at least three errors while giving up at least 12 runs in a single game. The franchise had only one such game in the previous six seasons.